Indomitable
by ThatOneTard
Summary: An older Sarada finds herself part of the Konoha Military Police Force. She's worked hard to get here and she's not going to be intimidated by the past. But then a man in a hood comes into the picture, dredging up the past with him and more. The one she loves is put in danger and her position is threatened to topple right from under her. She's not her father, though. (BoruSara!)
1. Meet the Konoha Interrogation Force!

**FULL STORY DESCRIPTION:** _The future's full of opportunities and she's taking every one. First in line to be the next Hokage, Sarada also finds herself soon to take over the Konoha Military Police Force as her right. And when she does, she's putting the Uchiha name back on its sign. She's worked hard to get here and she's not going to be intimidated by the past or the likes of Ibiki. But then a man in a hood comes into the picture, dredging up the past with him and more. The one she loves is put in danger and her position is threatened to topple right from under her. She's not her father, though. And she won't make his mistakes. Curse or not._

* * *

 **DISCLAIMER** : _I am only typing this once for this story: I do not own Naruto or the next generation. Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto and Shueisha. Support the official release._

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 **INDOMITABLE**

 **Part 1: Meet the Konoha Torture and Interrogation Force!**

* * *

"You so much as disobey a direct order from a higher up and I will have you processed and thrown in a cell. Do I make myself clear, _Uchiha_?"

Ibiki Morino gleamed at her, his frame nearly twice as big and just as imposing. He was a hulking brute whose scars could fill an entire library with stories. He wore black gloves and a trench coat and his eyes seemed nearly as dark as they narrowed at her. "I will not have you attempt to undermine the authority of this establishment just because you have connections in high places. You'll play by the same rules as everyone else." His frown deepened. "Understood?"

Keeping eye contact, she smiled, eyes equally narrowing. "Yes. And the same goes for you." An eyebrow rose at this and she held out her hand for a handshake. "Oh, and call me Sarada."

Ibiki grinned and shook Sarada's hand, his grip firm. "Got some balls. Good. You'll fit right in." He held his arm out, showing off the room before them. "Welcome to my team, Uchiha."

Behind him, various men sat, wearing the same standard gray uniform associated with the Konoha Torture and Interrogation Force. Some shifted, others didn't pay the slightest attention to its newest member.

Ibiki grinning still, crossed his arms in front of his huge frame. "It's been a very long time since we had an _Uchiha_ in our mists...Well if you don't count the time your father was arrested." With this, he hooted with very purposeful laughter.

Sarada blinked a few times but otherwise did not falter at his attempt at intimidation.

It was just a part of the initiation. Feeling each other out. There was a light laugh in the background, lightening the air.

"Oh, _please_ ," a female voice rang from behind. Entering in, Ino smiled at her, her long blonde bangs nearly covering half of her pale face. She was beautiful and not someone you'd expect to spend most of her time cooped up in the slab gray walls and affairs of Konoha's Intelligence Division. "Don't let him scare you, he's just a big overgrown teddy bear."

"Watch yourself," Ibiki chided, tossing her a scroll. She caught it mid-air. "And you're late to her orientation."

Ino juggled the scroll and her bag in one arm before dropping them unceremoniously to a desk which she then sat on top of, completely at ease. "I'm not late, you guys are just early."

She was about the same age as Sarada's mom. Her thirties but had long been established as an important member of the team. Sarada hoped she would be just as well established as her in the next few months.

Ibiki made a face that said not-amused before leading Sarada to the nearest group of officers. "I'd like you to meet the men you'll be working with the most in the Intelligence Division. I'm sure you know Ino well."

"Of course, a close friend of my mother," she started.

"Took the place of her father after the war. Besides you, she's the newest member. The rest have been part of my team for a very long time. We're talking before the war over a decade ago. It's not everyday someone as—"

"Young?" she guessed. To her surprise, Ibiki shook his head. "I was going to say new. Age has hardly any relevance when compared to the past achievements of Hatake and your deceased uncle, Itachi."

She nodded in approval. She had yet to leave teenage years behind and she appreciated that this did not cause the much older and experienced man to overlook her when he had gotten the Seventh's command to make her his partner-in-training.

He signaled her over to a group of three that were sitting close together. "When it comes to interrogation, whether by you or Miss Yamanaka over there, these three will be at your side. Meet Mawashi, Tonbo Tobitake, and Shimon Hijiri."

The first he had introduced, Mawashi, she had heard of before. He had this leader-like quality about him that had earned him the name of Demon Sergeant of the Analysis Team. But seeing him in person he seemed rather plain. He wore the standard uniform with no personal adjustments made to it and had glasses like herself. His were a standard black pair. A bandana covered short brown hair and held his village plate as well.

He acknowledged Sarada's presence with a brief nod before returning his attention to a scroll.

Sarada glanced to the other two. The one called Tonbo had the upper half of his face wrapped in bandages and his headband drawn over his eyes, resembling a blindfold. She detected the slight scent of nicotine off of him. A smoker. _Great_.

She shook his hand and he took it loosely. "An Uchiha, huh?"

Shimon had long hair compared to his squadmates. Brown hair that went to his shoulders with two parted bangs that framed his face. His eyes were hidden by his headband and shadow. Shaking his hand as well, Sarada gave a hopeful, confident smile. "I will be happy to work with you.

In the background, she caught sight of a few more men, one of which had an almost identical appearance to Mawashi, an officer named Mozuku, but she tried to not let that discourage her from memorizing every face and every name. Her initiation as a fellow officer was so vitally important to her and her family so she had to do her best in _everything_.

Ibiki pointed to the door. "We have a criminal downstairs that attempted to steal some important scrolls yesterday afternoon. His mind has so far been proven well protected against Ino's jutsu. I want to see what you got and fish the names of his employee, Uchiha."

She nodded. Finally, a chance to show what she had. She smiled. "Yes, sir. And please, call me Sarada."

Her request was immediately ignored and she could only sigh.

Her first day so far was going just great. But hey, it was only just beginning.

_-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx-_

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 ** **Cover Image:** _The Ibiki and Ino cover is not mine. It is Lily Hoshino's and if the artist wishes for me to change it I will. Until then feel free to check the link out and see some of her other Naruto fan art and more at (no spaces) www dot zerochan dot net slash 319904_  
**

Link to my design for this Sarada: shaxra15 dot . deviantart dot com / art / Older-Sarada-Uchiha-Design-Sketch-666190011

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 **The Cast of Characters:** _Because of the nature of this story, the fact it will take place partially in the_ _ **Konoha Intelligence Division**_ _and with the_ _ **Konoha Cryptology Team**_ _, you're going to see some names you probably don't know. They are_ NOT _OCs, just extremely minor characters. But I'll try to keep it mostly around our main cast, but expect the following characters to come up as background characters:_ _ **Tonbo Tobitake**_ _,_ _**Shimon Hijiri**_ _,_ _ **Mawashi Dokuraku**_ _and his utterly younger look alike_ _ **Mozuku**_ _._

 _From the Cryptology Team, we have a soon to be the leader_ _**Shiho**_ , _**Yurika**_ _, and a retiring_ _ **Mitoku**_ _. Again, these are not OCs, but characters I looked up while researching the Intelligence Division and the equally important Cryptology department. They will not affect the plot too much (a couple will), but rather add to the environment of this particularly different side of Konoha._

 _The people who will be directly involved with our main character,_ _**Sarada**_ _, are:_ _ **Ibiki**_ _,_ _ **Ino**_ _,_ _**Sasuke**_ _,_ _ **Sakura**_ _,_ _ **Chocho**_ _,_ _ **Mitsuki**_ _, the_ _**Shin clones**_ _,_ _ **Naruto**_ _,_ _ **Boruto**_ _and_ _ **Konohamaru**_ _._

 _Also, when it comes to this story, I'm following my own deductions of the next generation, so BoruSara is a thing. In fact, any story I have written with characters from the next generation (excluding_ The Dream _) is my cannon. Meaning stuff like_ It's the Fear _happened. This story takes place a few years after that incident._

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 **Author's Note On Development:** T _he idea of Sarada being the missing link between the Uchiha and the village came to me a while ago, and I figured she should naturally have her place in the Force...I knew I had to write about it. But what stopped me was the fact I needed a plot, something to drive to a climax and resolve. I had to come up with something, figure out what kind of climax would suit this story. And it came to me very slowly, piece by little piece. I would have her face something that has the power to put her dreams in utter jeopardy and have her fight to stay strong regardless. This is why instead of titling the story To the Future as I had originally planned, this became Indomitable._

 **My Stance on Empowered Female Leads (because as a comic reader, I feel like this has to be addressed even though it probably doesn't even matter on a site like this...):** _This doesn't mean she won't get hurt or that she won't make terrible mistakes. I hate the idea that a strong female can't be hurt because too often one is for the male's development in a lot of other stories, whether in film or comics. This is a trope referred to as putting a woman in the refrigerator. So people act like you just can't touch the female lead or that it's instantly demeaning to have them get roughed up. That or they don't get dirty after fighting because we enjoy looking at them in all their perfection. I call bull crap on all these cases._

 _Like with everything, there's a right way and a wrong way. This Sarada is strong from the start, but that doesn't mean she's immune to everything. This is a Sarada who becomes even stronger but will have her doubts and worries and anxieties and certainly flaws. If she gets in a fight she's not gonna look as pretty after it. She's going to be ragged just like a male would but she's going to smile, wipe the blood off her lip, and keep punching and work up a sweat. She's not there to gawk at. (Although I should bring up now there is going to be an instance where she purposely overpowers a man with her sexuality for her own goal.)_

 **Flaws. A person who doesn't have them, man or woman, is either an aged warrior...or a robot.** _So this whole introduction will end with something that could have the capacity to utterly defeat her. Or just make her that much stronger as she fights the best she can when the trials come. She will, she'll have to fight. It's her attitude and outlook that brings the title._

 _Although I admit, if I put anyone in the refrigerator, it's become a trend of mine to toss an Uzumaki in because they're so versatile, so I'm warning you of that ahead of time._

 _Also, if you want smut, look elsewhere. Boruto and Sarada's a thing, they're going to be very open about it too, but no one needs the camera_ _tuned into every single detail. That's called porn and I find I don't do it, let alone well. Find another writer if you didn't like this part._


	2. Meet the Cryptology Team Too!

_Ready for another shortie? It's one that continues to set things up for the hook and introduces a few more faces. Next time two crucial ones will come...and so will a threat._

* * *

 **INDOMITABLE**

 **Part 2: Meet the** **Cryptology Team Too** **!**

* * *

The Konoha Intelligence building was three slab gray stories, the first of which served as its super-secure prison for shinobi who were threats or being questioned and housed its interrogation rooms. She was led to one where a man wearing the standard prison uniform sat, shackled to the table.

There, one of the team members wearing glasses like herself handed her a clipboard. On it, in rather bad handwriting were notes on his crime. Simply stating he had been caught the middle of the night trying to steal a scroll from the Hokage's library. A quick background profile as well. She couldn't help notice he was a father.

Finished scanning the data she handed the clipboard back to the officer. He took the clipboard without meeting her eyes and gruffly set it on the table.

"Thank you, Mozuku."

"It's Mawashi," he chided. She smiled apologetically, inwardly cursing herself for getting the two mixed up. "I apologize...Mawashi."

She turned away so she could face the criminal. While she did, she could feel all the team's eyes on her back as she did so, waiting to see what she did and no doubt drawn to the crest on her back like a magnet. She took a deep collective breath and pulled a chair up so she could sit in front of the thief.

They hadn't given her his name but she had caught it on the file. Touma Sohma.

"Touma," she said, making eye contact. "My name is Sarada. I need to know why you tried to steal one of the Hokage's scrolls."

He glared at her, irises bright against his dark skin. No, tanned. Noting this, she thought quickly, making as many deductions as she could without seeming to stall the process. His hands were rough, confirming a theory already forming in her head, that he must work a lot of manual labor. But any more modernization is still making numerous jobs that required hard labor a thing of the past, enough so that lives were still in the process of readjusting to this new age, finding its flow again. Did ends become hard to meet? She leaned forward, keeping eye contact.

"Did someone tell you they would _pay_ you a great deal if you acquired so seemingly a simple thing?"

Sohma didn't speak but his eyes did. He was surprised. This told Sarada she was on to something.

"Tell me who and we'll work a deal out, alright?" She gave a reassuring nod that she hoped said _trust me_.

The man's eyelids narrowed. "Go to hell."

Sarada sighed and slowly removed her glasses. She set them to the side, on the edge of her chair, biting her lip.

She could still feel the intelligence members' eyes on her, which did not make her feel better about her next option. One they expected of her but she herself had never done before, not like this. But she had to.

"Okay, Sohma. I didn't want to do this but..." Lifting her head up, her sharingan spun into life. Enveloping her irises in crimson. "I failed to give you my surname. It's Uchiha."

He looked staggered. "What's—"

And she was in and already conjuring all the terror she could imagine, trying to make the monstrosities force the truth from him.

And...

Seconds later the man started whimpering before his eyes rolled back and his head fell forward, chin falling into his chest. The team rushed to him. And so did a foul smell.

"All she did was make him soil himself!" Tonbo complained, looking to Ibiki in disgust. The giant shook his head.

Sarada after releasing the genjutsu felt a soft surface pushed into her back.

"Clean it up, Uchiha."

Hearing Ibiki's command, she released a tired breath, took the towel, and began wiping the floor. Everyone else shuffled out, dragging the prisoner with them. Once he was gone, she began on the chair, inwardly groaning. Not at the pee, no, but at herself for failing.

Finished cleaning, she nearly jumped when a hand came into her vision. Ibiki's. He was holding out her glasses for her.

"Maybe next time, Uchiha."

"Yeah...Thanks."

Outside, Ino gave her a wink. "Don't worry, you'll get it."

_-xXx-_

The day had continued relatively uneventful as she was further introduced to what was to become her routine. She met the Konoha Cryptology Team in a separate wing, near the roof on the third floor, which consisted of a few people who had only grown more important to the village these past two decades with advancements in technology. With new tech, new crime soon followed, making jobs like decoding and cryptography in general crucial and evolutionary.

The room they worked in was a lot dimmer and messy compared to the rooms designated for the interrogators. Papers were scattered everywhere, some nearly covering up computer monitors in their stacks. Behind one huge stack, they found the main forces behind the team, wearing white coats unlike the others team members and in the middle of decoding a message on a ratty old computer screen.

Sarada plastered a smile on and tried to shake their hands just as she had the intelligence force. The members here were more laid back and shook her hand with an almost eagerness.

A lady with light hair and glasses had greeted her the most energetically. "I'm Shiho," she said, grinning in earnest happiness. Shiho's glasses were round and the lens so strangely thick, Sarada wondered how she could see properly out of them. "Man, your father's been so great with collecting data so it's great to _finally_ have another Uchiha!"

"Oh calm down," a man behind her chided.

"You're just upset that you're retirement ain't here yet, Mitoku," Shiho countered.

"I've a week left, can't it be nice and quiet?"

Sarada giggled, directing her attention to Mitoku. She already knew him as the head because of the work her family sometimes did with him. "Retiring, huh? Who will take over as the leader, then?"

The man shrugged. "Unfortunately, that girl right there." He motioned to Shiho.

"What do you mean _unfortunately_?" the woman said indignantly.

"I think you just want an excuse to get closer to Shikamaru."

"He's married for kami's sake!"

"Exactly!"

Ignoring the little squabble, Sarada shook the third person's hand, a woman and decoder, who introduced herself by the name of Yurika.

"It's good to have you," Yurika said kindly.

Sarada nodded. "It's good to be here and I look forward to working with the Cryptology Unit in the future."

_-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx-_

Eventually, five hit, and it was mercifully time to leave.

Outside the gates surrounding the building, Sarada's fist slammed into a giant rock below. Webs of cracks split the stone and she fell to her knees, pressing her hands to her face. Feeling everything from earlier, the failure, their eyes, even the stench from Touma...She let out a single snap of profanity. Harsh and loud for no one was nearby.

Birds fluttered from the nearby trees. Seconds passed.

She let out a deep breath and stood back up, sweeping the dirt off her knees.

 _How can I work with them, let alone take over if hardly anyone_ —

"You alright?"

She spun around, expression aghast.

" _Dad_?"

_-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx-_

* * *

 **AN:** So _the Boruto series started, I've not watched it yet but have seen the trailer. And ugh, they gave Sarada that stupid ascot-looking thing from the manga (which for some reason I still stay up to date with). It looks like she stole it from Freddy from Mystery Inc. That's what it looks like to me. I just hope the anime does not take the same approach the manga does with the posing and the panty shots. And the heels. Look, there's a time and place for heels. During missions ain't one of them! A party, yes...My Sarada will have a pretty snazzy outfit for a party in a few chapters, heels and everything._

 _Look, there's nothing wrong with a character being sexy, but there's a difference between being posed/drawn a certain way to achieve sexy and just being sexy. And being a MINOR. She's like, twelve or thirteen in the manga but that doesn't stop the artist from drawing her always with a limb bent, or whatever. I ranted enough about that though on another site. (DA)_

 _I guess that after reading Kishimoto's writing on her, I set my standards a bit higher than what we've got from the manga writer/artist. I feel like in the Scarlet Spring she was an excellent character the more it went. Especially when the focus was on her interacting with the older characters and I loved it. In this fic, a lot of the core scenes where the most heart is will be with her interacting with her dad, Naruto, and even Boruto. I want to keep that trend up._

 _This fic, I'm sure, will never be based off further installments of Boruto but continue to be based off my deductions. Those deductions will really begin to be addressed in the next part, such as why Sasuke was never around, the fact that there will be some prejudice against the Uchiha._

 _In the future, I want to tackle Boruto again. And wow, have I just RANTED before about him but the funny thing is I do like writing him, but writing him as someone who can smile but at the end of the day just wants alone time with Sarada and alone time from any eyes is nearly impossible to get with their parents. And like her, overcoming the great shadows of their fathers. The fact that when people look at them, it's really at their fathers and all the expectations. In that regard, Boruto and Sarada can relate to each other._

 _I'm pleased to say that Boruto should come up in the next chapter and we'll learn where he's chosen to go with Sarada in the Force. He's got a job he's looking into, linked to his already established goal of protecting a Hokage Sarada in the future, or being her right-hand man. I think it'll be a fun scene that also serves a purpose I can't delve into without spoiling one of the dilemmas that unfolds in this fic._

 _Anyway, I appreciate the reviews and follows and favorites, especially considering the first part was thrown out too early and was extremely short. Regardless that truth you guys were awesome. :)_

 _I'm like so bad about updating, whether too early or too late but I feel like regardless that truth, you guys have been great. I can only hope this booger reaches its finish properly. If you noticed, there was essentially no HOOK in that first update (or this one) and anyone that's read my stuff knows I am about hooks, and cliff hangers and all that jazz._

 _But I knew when I decided to post the first part and even this next one that it would be a slow, pleasant start. That I wouldn't have the drive to end that Part 1 far enough for the hook to come properly, and I still did it. I promise the plot has a place it's going, all of what's come so far is very much connected to the dilemmas and hooks, trust me, it just feels strange to me because it hasn't after just, what, 2k? XD Seriously, you know how abnormal that is for me? But this story is going to be tame for the most part, it does get a pinch dramatic later, someone's life will be on the line, but I don't need to shove it in so early. Here's a deal, though, the first major dilemma and stake will be raised at the end of the next part or the one right after, okay?_

 _Again, thanks for reading so far, and I can also say happily this story will have a resolve. Had to plan one out because in the original conception the bad guy was simply going to get away, leaving Sarada with essentially no resolution but to simply move on._

 _And I was like ohmygawd, do not Lovely Bones it, DO NOT._

 _So I won't do that, it's realistic but cruel._

 _Anyway, see you next time! **Sasuke and Boruto will make their true appearance and there'll be some developments and who knows,**_ **maybe _a little something special for BoruSara fans..._**


	3. On a Scale of One to Ten, Twenty

_"I did not get to Bo in this one...Sowee. Just trust me, we'll get there._

* * *

 **INDOMITABLE**

 **Part 3: On a Scale of One to Ten, Twenty**

* * *

"Dad?"

Leaning against the stone wall behind her, was her father.

"But I thought you were away," she stammered, terrified. She'd just broken down, right in front of him!

Her father smiled softly. A smile that was subtle, but was major big for him. Very rarely did he smile or show much expression. "I was, but today was an important day for you."

She was speechless. Finally, she settled for giving a happy "Thanks."

_-xXx-_

They ended up going to an expensive restaurant for dinner. It had a very traditional yet regal look to it and she felt underdressed. He, on the other hand, seemed at home, even when he was only wearing his mission gear which was mostly covered by a dark cloak.

Sasuke motioned her to a corner booth and tossed said cloak there.

"My father used to take us here sometimes," he commented, not even picking up the menu after he had sat down. "Me, him, Mother and Itachi."

"I see," she said, looking down. This...was odd. Her father was taking her out to eat. He had never done that before. There had been no real reason for that other than the fact the occasion had never risen. He was always away, or even when he was home, he was still made busy, whether it be by assisting the Hokage or Ibiki or the Anbu or just training Boruto. She almost frowned at the latter thought. Boruto got to see her father more than she did. It was a bit—

"Did something happen?" Sasuke asked.

Oh yeah. Earlier. Sarada shrugged. "I just, I failed to get information out of this thief. I mean I should have been able to, so it's frustrating, I mean Ibiki was counting on me and all I was able to do was make the guy...make him pee himself."

She smiled bitterly. Sarada Uchiha. Conjurer of urine. She could just see the headlines now.

Some leader she would turn out to be.

"Information?" There was a pause. "Sarada..." Sasuke leaned forward, his voice filled with concern, clearing her thoughts. Why had his demeanor changed so much? It was as if them using her to obtain information was just plain sad.

"You advanced your sharingan? That's unfortunate."

"Why would you say that?" she asked, fingers tightening unconsciously around a glass of water that had just been set down for her.

"Because the sharingan takes a tragedy to evolve."

Sarada's jaw about nearly dropped. "What?"

"It awakens after the trauma of someone close to the user dying, so again, has something happened?"

 _Are you alright?_ he seemed to be trying to say.

Her heart actually warmed at his concern, but...

She blushed. "Um, well, that actually explains a lot. It was a, um...No one died, Dad, but...They almost did. We were on a mission and Bo kind of rushed ahead, thinking he could do things on his own, the idiot, I mean he's always doing crap like that! And, um..."

Man, her face was feeling hot, her blood rushing, and her father didn't even have to look at it because he then spoke, raising an eyebrow, " _Bo_?"

Ah, crap. She was usually on guard for things like this but for some reason just seeing her dad after so long had knocked her down a bit.

She laughed nervously. "Um, Boruto, I mean, and anyway, it kinda turned into a hostage situation and then things were exploding and it was so horrible, I thought he had been killed. I was so terrified. So I began digging through the rubble, trying to find him, and next thing I knew, my eyes were burning, but I had thought it was from the smoke and heat. It was only some time later that I realized my Sharingan could do a little...more. And only by accident. ***** "

Sasuke nodded. "So..." Now he seemed, what was it, oddly perplexed? embarrassed or surprised.

"I see. It was _Boruto_."

 _It awakens after the trauma of someone_ close _to the user dying._

Sarada's eyes widened. There was no use beating around the bush now. He definitely knew they were a little more than mere squad mates now. "Yes...And dad, we've kind of been seeing each other since."

He nodded. "That actually explains a lot."

"What do you mean?"

"He chatters a lot when he's nervous. And ever since I came back, he hasn't shut up. His babbles have been endless and distracting."

Sarada chuckled. "Sounds right."

"A little too much so." His voice became quieter. "Sarada, the...extent of your relationship..." He seemed to be struggling for the right words now. Uncomfortably at that. The wrapper from his straw had long been wadded up into a tiny paper ball and he was rolling it between his thumb and pointer. "On a scale of one to ten, one being it's just a fleeting fling, and ten...mature—"

"Fifteen."

He blinked.

"Maybe twenty," she rushed out. "It's the real deal."

"I see...That really explains it then." Sasuke was frozen stiff.

Too much information, but his curiosity was no doubt permanently sated.

Sarada shrugged. "Neither of us is ashamed but we try to be mature in town so there's no worry of trouble, whether from any press or just the higher ups in the village either. We know the value of privacy."

Way too much at this point, she knew, for her father but he needed to know if he was going to continue working with Boruto. Right now he was teaching him kenjutsu, if she remembered correctly.

"Are you fine with that?" she asked off hand, glancing at the menu. His approval meant nothing, he had lost that right, but it was good to know he had least bore some approval to the nature of things the way there were now.

She could almost picture Boruto now, meeting up with her dad, unable to update him that their relationship had shifted since they last saw each other. Nervous, because, if he didn't approve her father had the capacity to make his life a literal hell.

"If he just gets his head unclouded, yes."

"Well, I guess it's because he's afraid you wouldn't approve. Because if you didn't, well, there's a lot you could do to him."

Now Sasuke smiled. "On the contrary, of all the kids in the village, I mind him the least. And yes, if he ever hurt you, he knows exactly what I could do to him and his father wouldn't have a say in the matter."

Sarada laughed but soon Sasuke's own sobered. "Sarada, I know having an advance sharingan from here on is going to be exciting, it's potential seeming limitless for unraveling your goals, but you can't be using that Sharingan lightly."

Sensing the air shift, Sarada tensed. "Why?"

"Because you could go blind."

She nearly spit out her drink.

"What?!"

"That's a danger with evolving and using the Sharingan too much. It begins to ebb at your sight. In the past, Uchiha would have transplants to permanently stop the process. This required taking the sharingan from those closest to them, oftentimes from their own siblings. I myself had my brother's transplanted, both for medical reasons and my past goals. But you don't have that option so I'm telling you now, be weary and never overdo it."

"Dad! Why hasn't anyone told me this before, I mean, how much more is there about it that I don't even know!"

Now she was angry. She could go blind? BLIND?!

Sasuke looked down grimly. "I should have told you this and everything else I could about it sooner...Yet another failure."

"Dad...Look, it's all right. I just need to know these things now. So please, don't leave again before teaching me everything else about the Sharingan, because having to wear glasses is bad enough. Being blind, I don't think I could even live that way. So I really don't want to accidentally screw up."

She couldn't even imagine living without sight. And knowing she could have screwed up already made it only worse. Just what all was there that she didn't know? Up until now her knowledge of her own eyes was limited to little nuggets of information from Kakashi who she rarely saw and maybe Boruto's parents. Hinata helped her to focus, to activate and deactivate her ocular powers, while Naruto had tried giving her tips from memory. And they were usually awful and insufficient, although she always told him otherwise.

When it came down to it, she needed another sharingan user to help her, and her father was the only real solution.

Sasuke nodded, an almost sad look coming into his eyes. "I owe you that much, so I promise you now, I won't leave until you have properly mastered your sharingan. We'll begin tonight, and it will help you with your work as well because while advancing it too much can be dangerous, working with it properly can be the biggest assist to the village and yourself."

Sarada nodded, trying to hide her bliss. Was her father going to start teaching her personally? It seemed almost like a dream come true. Only "almost" because while her father was pretty advance, he was also a heck of an awkward person to be around at times. At least for her. For others like Naruto and Boruto, he had a small sprite of humor and looseness that he didn't otherwise show.

Her happiness deflated as Sasuke began speaking again, after a few sips of his drink. "Sarada, you've just grown so much. I'm foolish enough to not have expected it so. You know, when you were a toddler still, and I began on my missions again, I wanted you to grow in a loving setting, free from all the strife that came with being an Uchiha from my generation. And you did, but that came at an unforgivable price: neglect."

She glanced down. The paper wad between his fingers now was a perfect sphere. Hard as a rock.

"And I regret it, but at the same time, you've come this far on your own and with love from your own family and friends. You achieved easily what my Uchiha pride wouldn't let me. I'm proud, you became you, and forged your way close to the Hokage and even the force. I could not have taken you to that place but I want to be home more for you more from now on, even if really it's too late."

"It's not too late."

It was.

Yes, she loved him, but nothing he did now could take away the years she had grown up with just her mom. Feeling like she was a single mom. And seeing her mom cling on to a man she herself had never seen for so long. It hurt, and while he had tried mending it, and she was grateful to have him, he had still screwed up.

"Be honest."

"Alright, part of me hated you."

He sighed. "Understandable."

She stirred the ice around in her drink a bit before letting the straw go.

"And dad...I didn't exactly work my way into the force that much. It was the Hokage. He wanted the village and Uchiha to work together in it, maybe in attempt to right the wrongs of the past—"

"He _would_ do something like that."

"—and so now I'm not actually training to be Ibiki's partner, I'm training to take over."

Now it was Sasuke's turn to nearly spit his drink out. He blinked a couple of times, his thoughts practically visibly whirling, his brow furrowed.

"You mean..."

"I'm going to run the force when he retires. No one else but Ibiki and the Hokage knows this. They're not sure how everyone else will react to the news, so I volunteered to not announce it until I had gotten more comfortable with the Force and its workers. Then I'd drop the bomb."

"A Uchiha hasn't run it since..."

"Your father. I know, the Hokage told me."

Sasuke almost smiled, his thought going back to so long ago.

"It's a wise move," he commented. "Waiting. It is a position that could easily be abused and has been. Ibiki's been good for it, though, a solid head, and his men equally so although they also happen to be rooted deeply in that time period. And because of that, his men will be wary of you. Nothing will change that, so don't let that discourage you. Just keep doing good and all that matters is what Ibiki feels is satisfactory. It's just the way things are."

"I understand that, Dad. Just got to suck it up and all that."

He smiled. "True, and soon they should see you for who you are and that is the exact opposite of my father."

His own father must have neglected him a bit, through his work and the attention he gave his older brother. Then there were the secret meetings...

But all of that was in the past, astoundingly so.

Sasuke's smile broadened. "To think, an Uchiha in the Force. Though our views were drastically different, I think your grandparents would be very proud."

She smiled in return. "Hey Dad, can you tell me about your mom or brother?"

He nodded and the afternoon became evening as she was absorbed into her family history.

She understood now why there was prejudice towards her becoming the head of the Intelligence Division or resistance at the very least. Her father himself had been imprisoned there once, but she wasn't going to become another Uchiha like them. No, she wanted to be like her uncle, to fulfill his dreams. Because after the Force, the mantle of Hokage waited for her. And she would get there without fail. And Boruto was going to be right beside her. Yes, she wasn't and couldn't let anything get in her way.

_-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx-_

* * *

 **Author's Note**

*When Sarada briefly goes over the mission in which her sharingan evolved, it is from another fic I wrote, a prequel perhaps, called _It's the Fear._ Where that happens and where they later officially hook up can be found in the third chapter, appropriately titled "attraction" if ya wanna read it. Which I would if you read this, because I'm going to assume you have. If you haven't, the bare bones were at least laid out. If not, here's the rest: mission went bad, she got ticked, he addressed the fact she was way more ticked than the rest of the team was, pointed that out, said it might because there was more there, and he was right. Then proceeded to hook up on the train and as I put it then " _There were no more words, just motion, rushing them on as they kissed. Maybe there should have been. Maybe they were being young and reckless. But neither cared."_

And they've been at it since, but now are a tad older and are going on their paths which you'll see next update since I got Sasuke out of the way.

And yes, this was super short, I know, but it's a trend with this fic, might as well keep it up. And jeebers, have I had lots of work lately, my two jobs, and I'm practically a veteran at both now! Feels odd.

Then inspo, it is so, sooooo low. I'm talking why do I even keep writing kind of low. I have all these ideas, or scenes rather, in my head but writing is becoming completely lost to me.

Anyway, Oh, I'm so sorry this is short, time will pass with summaries a tad in the next. Boruto will have the next scene as the first was Ibiki and crew, then we just had Sasuke, Bo's next.

And as for her answer? On a scale of one to ten and she answered fifteen?

They super close, waste no time, and stuff like that. But there will be no smut, alas, that is for you to come up with. There might be references sprinkled here and there. And it'll be obvious that they're known to take advantages of, er, bathroom stalls by their classmates. I'm taking a bit of inspo for them from Lilly and Marshall in How I Met Your Mother, 'cept Bo's lots more mature than Marshall.

How old are they?

I was working on this depressing end of the world, they all die, kind of one-shot a while ago ('Til Death Do Us Part (Basically Team Seven's last mission)) and in it I had to wrestle around with my headcanon and in the author's note (those are written way in advance like a lot of other future scenes are) I pointed out the time periods for my next gen fics and this one was one of the ones listed. It was written " _(eighteen to be safe because I know that unlike the state I live in, the Age of Consent is usually that)"_

Meaning I had written them a pinch younger than eighteen until it crossed my mind that a lot of people live in places other than my lame state.

They's close, they respect each other, have fun, that's all I think, but I don't want to write them as adults, that's the problem. They're still finding their places. So maybe young at heart eighteen-year-olds. Still at their parents' places though, so...

SEVENTEEN. There. I will compromise to that.

Sarada and Boruto are seventeen years old in this fic.

:P

Finally, my profile has been updated, my Progress Status to be precise, and you'll find new stories just waiting for me to be high on inspo...and a BIG surprise for an already written but unposted story that you can fine elsewhere...

This is my way of saying please find and read it before it's complete and gets posted on this site...


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